For years, insects such as gypsy moth caterpillars or larvae have plagued homeowners, golf course owners, park caretakers and others in various parts of the United States. Large numbers of these insects will hide during the day, to avoid the heat and predators such as birds. At night, however, they emerge from their dark hiding places to feed on the leaves of trees, often destroying the foliage. The insects also crawl onto the sides of homes or other structures such as standing mailboxes, doghouses, sheds, flagpoles, or any vertical structures upon which insects might crawl. The mere presence of these insects on the structure is an annoyance, but in addition, the pests leave their feces on the structure. In large numbers, these pests can leave an unsightly mess on the side of the structure.
In recent years, several mechanical methods have been attempted to remove the pests from trees. These include placing sticky barriers or burlap sacks around tree trunks, so that the insects can be easily removed. Once the insects are trapped by the sticky barrier, a person can kill them by knocking the pests off the tree into a bucket of bleach, soapy water or some other agent. However, those pests stopped by a burlap sack must be removed before dusk, because when the sun goes down, the pests emerge to attack the leaves. This is often inconvenient for homeowners, especially those with large yards filled with trees. Ridding the trees of the insects before dusk requires that a person hurry home from work and quickly attend to the trees before dinner so as not to risk more damage to the foliage. In addition, the sticky barriers must be closely monitored, because any debris deposited thereon could become a bridge that the pest could use to cross the barrier and reach the leaves.
As yet, no one has attempted to apply a pest killing agent along with these mechanical barriers to protect the leaves. In addition, no one has created a method to control the gypsy moth population prior to or immediately after the hatching of the caterpillar eggs.
Further, certain types of insecticidal coatings are not only extremely effective at killing pests, but also have a long residual period, such that the coatings only need to be applied to a surface once per season or per year. The residual period may be a month to a year or more. Such coatings use active ingredients including but not limited to chlorpyrifos, pyrethroid, permethrin and tralomethrin.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of controlling insect infestation by applying an effective insecticidal coating having an extended residual period to a surface and covering the coating with a removable cover to create a dark region for insects to hide. The residual period may be a month to a year or more. Insecticidal agents which may be contained in the coating used in the present method include but are not limited to chlorpyrifos, pyrethroid, permethrin, and tralomethrin.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the insecticidal coating is applied to trees to control gypsy moth caterpillars. The coating may be applied at various times such as just prior to or immediately after the gypsy moth eggs hatch or any time after hatching to protect trees and/or surfaces. The insecticidal coating is covered with a piece of burlap or other opaque material that is adhered to the tree. The method exploits the habits of these particular caterpillars that hide in dark places during the day, only to emerge at dusk to destroy leaves and other foliage. The caterpillars will crawl under the burlap coating to hide for the day. Once there, they will encounter the insecticidal coating. The insects will die then fall off the tree.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the insecticidal coating is applied to the base of a house or other structure. The coated area is then covered to create a darkened region. Once under the shelter of the covering, the insects encounter the insecticidal coating and die.
In another embodiment, at least a portion of a surface where gypsy moth egg masses are located may be treated with insecticide. When the caterpillars hatch from the eggs they will crawl over the insecticide treated area and die.